The Georgia Aquarium

I was so excited to visit the Georgia Aquarium. I remember hearing about it when it opened several years ago and how awesome it was. It boasts that it is the largest aquarium in the world with over 8 million gallons of water. It lived up to it's reputation! It was fantastic!

A fishy friend greeted us when we entered, and Joseph thought he was pretty cool! The main hall was very open and pretty - unlike the Dallas World Aquarium there was plenty of space for all the kids to roam around and more than enough room for strollers. Off that main area there were five different areas to walk through; tropical warm water, cold water, Ocean Voyager with giant whale sharks and two manta rays, River Scout with otters and alligators, and then a hands on areas with a kiddie play area. They were amazingly decorated and had huge viewing windows, walk through tunnels and all sorts of interactive nooks and crannies. Each had beautiful music playing that really enhanced the experience. (Do I sound like a pamphlet?!)

We would crouch down to point at and talk about the fish and soon Joseph thought he had to crouch down too! He is such a monkey! Monkey see monkey do!


This viewing wall of a living reef in the tropical area had beautiful music playing that was synchronized to crescendo with simulated waves above our heads. It was awesome!

The jelly exhibit used dark lighting to create a mystical mood. They floated around so peacefully and were so beautiful.






Look at the size of those fish! They were HUGE!


This was a viewing area for the gentle giants area. The window was at least 20 feet tall and probably twice a wide or more. There were two huge, totally awesome-beyond-words manta rays with a wing span of at least 6 feet. The huge whale sharks were just as cool. There was no shortage of fish either, anywhere you looked there were dozens and dozens of fish - in every wall and in most ceilings.



This exhibit wound around and even had a moving walk way so you can stare without having to pay attention to your feet! Perfect!

The river area was SO cool! It was decorated like a swamp and Joseph really liked the alligators. He would go to the next tank then run back to the alligators again. So we hung out there awhile! They had catfish and other Mississippi River native fish swimming over our heads. The otters were at the end of this exhibit but they weren't showing off for us - just resting in a huddle on the rocks. Still very cute!

Best of all...well...that is a strong statement with all that there was to see...but my favorite was the beluga whales. They were simply amazing. We took a long time watching this guy swim around and around. There are two females also but they apparently like to stay in the back and the male is the curious, playful one. He is the one in the video below. Talk about majestic. Check it out!





I wish we had an aquarium as cool as this one closer to us. It was definitely worth the $26 ticket fee! ;) This one gets two flippers up and we can't wait to go back someday!

Georgia: Arriving and Meeting Cousin Peyton

I decided to do the pictures in installments so I have more time to photoshop them, and so one post doesn't have 30 pictures. I wish I would have taken my camera cord with me and I could have posted them each day...but alas, I cannot be perfect all the time - I forgot it at home. ;)

Joseph was quite the monkey on the plane and wanted his daddy the whole time, so Josh was the designated entertainer for the flight. We hoped for a nap but weren't lucky enough for that, so instead Joseph did headstands and kicked the seats the whole time.


He was pretty underwhelmed with the thought of flying and being in the sky. I guess next time he'll appreciate that more!

Ha! "The Forgotten Bible"....laying under the seat in front of us! I thought it would be pretty funny it was really forgotten, but it ended up belonging to the lady who was sitting there.

Georgia is SO pretty! There are trees lining every street and it is the complete opposite of flat Texas. The ground cover here is kudzu, and was brought in from Japan because it was so attractive looking. Japan, however, doesn't have the tall trees and shrubs that America has and so the story goes, they didn't know how it would take over the whole country side...every square inch. But boy it is pretty!

(The obligatory mossy tree picture!)

A national forest is Bobe and Edie's back yard. I would have loved to traipse around the trails some, but a 22 month old busy body wouldn't have made it far. Maybe next time!

And here is Miss P...Peyton Isla! Josh's cousin Adam and his wife Aurora came in from California and we got to meet our newest family member for the first time. We hung out at his Auntie Debbie and Uncle Sid's house most evenings.

Joseph was mesmerized by Peyton's fun toys. He studied this one really hard until he got all the ins and outs worked out.


He is my cutie patootie, but he didn't always like sharing toys with the baby. Up until recently, with the addition of Ada-Grace, Abby and Peyton, he was always the baby. Now he has to share! And what's worse...they are icky girls!

With all the new babies around, I don't have to worry about having a new one of my own just yet! We sure did have fun with Peyton, though...she is such a doll!

When It Rains, It Pours

Man, I had so many cliche sayings ready for the title of this post but couldn't pass up the good ol "when it rains, it pours"! We are safe and sound and back to normal. It's been quite the trip so far!

So the rest of the day yesterday it only got worse and worse. It was crazy here! Basically, all of our area (northwest of Atlanta) is just really really hilly. I don't know if all of Georgia is like that, but for our area and the surrounding areas it lead to flash flooding and muddy, mucky, high water madness. We were getting word from neighbors how high the water was getting, and was spreading further and further out from the initial one bridge down the street that went under water. By late afternoon, the TV was showing pictures of our only road out (Columns Rd.) 4-6 feet under. We were seeing pictures from neighbor's phones of the water and it was raging! The Chattahoochee was the main culprit, which runs along Columns Rd. - and the multi million dollar houses that sit on the banks were getting hit hard.

Early evening we were getting accounts of chest high water and it was clear the whole length of the road was under, about two miles long. One neighbor made it through the high water around noon and tried to get back in around 1 or 2. She heard the water gurgling up in the air vents in the cab of her truck and tried to turn around. She ended up finding high ground in someone's yard and parked and was going to wade through. Scary I know. She claims her military experience was how she was going to make it through, but she said the current was so strong and soon the waist high water was chest high and she was very scared. (This is how people get swept away and die! I don't know why people think they should try to make it.) She was rescued by a civilian in a canoe and taken to higher land. Then she proceeds to go with a few others to try to hike in to the condos. Like I said, the land is really hilly around here and a National Forest surrounds the area - so they came in through the back, hiking two miles to get back to the complex. Sounds horrible to me! Half of the complex lost power (NOT US!!) and she was on that half. Poor gal!

Other accounts were of people losing their back yards to the raging water. We ran into family friends out at dinner tonight that said they lost 12 feet of back yard and their in-ground pool was almost completely exposed - and totally jacked up by the way. You may have heard the rest on the news...schools flooding, businesses under water, the deaths, roads washing out, people stranded everywhere. We were worried we would be stuck for a couple of days, but that was the extent of our problems. Others were in such worse situations and SO close to home, it was very somber and unfortunate.

The Chattahoochee rose 12 feet in 24 hours in our area and creeks and rivers broke crest records from as far back as 1919. I heard someone say it's a 100 year flood plane so I guess they'll be good for the next 100 years. This morning as soon as we woke up Josh, Joseph and I headed out to see what we could see. There was no rain in our area overnight. Thank God. The first and closest low water area was clear and dry. Then we turned out of the complex on to Columns Rd and it was dry. I couldn't believe as fast as it flooded, it receded. There was people out milling around coming to check it out also. Cars seemed to be getting through so we starting asking people what they heard about it. They were saying you could get half way down the two mile road, then were cutting up through another neighborhood that was high and dry b/c at the end of Columns the river was still covering the road. We walked around and took pictures and marveled at the power of the water. The Chattahoochee was wide and flowing fast and was overflowing to the road in some areas, but not covering it. There were huge trees and all that woody debris that accompanies floods but the bridge was intact! There were many houses that already had their water pumps pumping out their basements (and first floors perhaps??) and people were raking their yards. They don't waste any time! There were AT&T and power company vans out, landscaping vans and those water damage restoration vans everywhere. So things should be back to normal soon.

The sun was out almost all day. This place is really beautiful with sunlight! Hopefully mother nature will give us a break and chill out on the rain. Of course down river was still rising this morning, even with no rain - since it's catching all the downstream flow. I'm glad it's over and everyone can get back to normal. Sheesh, what a day. But I had Mexican food for dinner and the internet is back up so I am good to go. ;)

We Made It...Now Get Us Outta Here!

I wrote this post yesterday then the internet dropped out and I couldn't publish it. Shortly after this all heck broke loose and about all of Georgia flooded. I have another post in the works that will post later - but we're safe and sound!!

What a weekend! It's rained all the way from Dallas and into Georgia...we've done everything in the rain for days and days and days...and now we're trapped! The road has flooded badly and we can't leave Edie and Bobe's condo!! The Chattahoochee River runs along the road and there are many other little inlets and ponds along the way. I heard a lot of speculation about the details but it sounds like the river is usually about 6 feet under the bridge that is the worst...and that's the area they aren't letting people cross.


We heard through the grapevine first thing this morning that the road was closed and started checking the news online. We were hearing that all the neighbors who tried to get to work and school were turned around. One of the neighbors tried to get through in his Mustang early this morning and it stalled. After we had breakfast and sat around cursing the rain, Edie and I decided to go check it out. Once we got to the main road - camera in hand - it was like a darn festival! There were people and parked cars everywhere! People came out of the woodwork to check it out...and why not? They didn't have to go to work, after all! So then we chickened out and turned around after just barely turning on the main road. We've seen the bridge in question on the internet though and it's-a-raging.


HA! I'm blogging at the table and the other folks are sitting around the living room. Edie just said in total seriousness "Well they are going to have to send a boat for us cause I'm not staying here forever." Yes, we are freaking out a bit. Ha! Plus the electricity keeps flickering and that would be the last straw for me...I'm swimming for it y'all. I mean, they can't deliver pizza in weather like this, you know?!


To top it all off; we got word from the management company to hold off on using the plumbing last night and this morning. No showers and toilets because the condos down the hill were flooded in sewage. YUCK! Don't know if it was related to the rain or not...but we've officially now been cleared to use the plumbing again. Can you imagine the worst case scenario - no plumbing, no electricity and trapped by the flood?! GET ME OUTTA HERE!

We Made It!

We're in Georgia! We came in for Rosh Hashana and for a good long visit this week. We've been looking forward to this for awhile. I love it here in Atlanta. It's so pretty everywhere and has a different feel to it than our city. It's so southern and lush, it's like country and city at the same time. You get the feeling of lots of history here. We hope to make it to the big Atlanta aquarium this week and I would love to take a tour of the Coke Factory - Georgia is the headquarters for Coke - but I don't know if there are any takers to go with me. Everyone seems to have already done it or just doesn't want to go. Poo. The last time I asked for Dr. Pepper at a restaurant they sure did look at me funny. The loyalty to Coke around here runs deep and strong!

We ended up buying a seat for Joseph on the plane, and while I still feel better having it, it was pretty much a waste of money. We took the car seat and used it for take off and landing, but Joseph was a BIG daddy's boy and only wanted him. Easy flight for me but not so much for Josh. Joseph was quite wiggle worm and as you know, there isn't anywhere for a kiddo to go in a tight row of airplane seats. Josh got a coke spilled on him and the poor man in front of us got his seat kick over and over (and over and over) by my angel. We tried. We really did. ;)

The trek through the airports went great and Joseph passed security with flying colors. We learned that you don't get to board early with AirTran though which was SO disappointing. I don't know if all airlines are doing that now, but I always thought you got to board early with children. The biggest disappointment of all though was when we had to pay $70 for luggage. I know they have to do what they have to do to make more money...but seriously?? I am about to get a quote for mailing back what we won't need right away when we get home. I don't know if the USPS will be cheaper than that but I am going to see...it's the principal of the thing!

The employees at the check-in and gate were all nasty and pissed off and upset to be alive (apparently) but what's new? The airport is only magical and super cool when you are a child, then you realize it's the worst, most disenchanting customer service monopoly in the world. The Atlanta airport is the busiest in the US and I concur. They had a train just to get to baggage claim and Joseph loved that! It was really fun watching him on it!

Last night we headed to dinner at Auntie Debbie's and got to meet our newest baby cousin, super cute Sweet Pea Peyton. Joseph stayed up super late but managed perfectly. We got up this morning and went off to services at the synagogue. Of course, right as the Rabbi was starting his sermon Joseph hits his head and starts wailing. In a room of 500 people the Rabbi tells us to take the crying baby out and makes some jokes about him not liking his sermon when he hasn't even started. And of course we were toward the front so I got to carry the crying baby through the whole crowd with everyone laughing and staring at us. It was insane. Services last the whole weekend so when we go back tomorrow we'll be more prepared. We've got a plan ready after today. Off to dinner at Auntie Debbie and Uncle Sid's again tonight and there will be a lot of fun crazy Jewish folks there...it should be lively to say the least. And food, lots and lots of food will be present.

By the way:
Weather Report: left Dallas after 7 days of rain to raining in Georgia. I wouldn't expect anything less at this point. The Atlanta Journal had an article on the front page with the headline "Forecast for forever: Rain" It made me laugh. The Weather Service predicts rain for Atlanta for the next seven days. We'll be returning by boat...maybe the luggage fees will be cheaper.

We have some new pets over here! With Josh's dad moving to China for a new job (yes, China!) we are taking over the care of his beloved turtles! I have to admit, at first I was adamant that Josh would be the one feeding them and making sure they had water - but I've found myself crouched over the turtle enclosure several times a day watching them and counting them to make sure no one has disappeared. They are really cool! But of course best of all, Joseph really likes them too. I didn't waste any time producing and directing their first photoshoot.

Look! He's smiling for the camera! And check out those beautiful eyes.

Here is the enclosure. They dug down a bit to install some concrete board so the turtles can't dig under and get out. They love to dig themselves under the dirt and chill out. I've already found them climbing the tree and they somehow get on top of their little house too. We have 7 adults and one little bitty baby. So cute!

Here are a couple...ahem....mating. We should give them some privacy...


They love strawberries and apples and seem to like peaches too. I gave them lettuce also, but it was sitting next to the strawberries so it wasn't too appealing at the time. But it's all gone now so someone must've felt like a little salad after I left. We feed them about twice a week and make sure their water stays fresh, but other than that they are easy peasy to take care of. We love our new family members!